Posted by Joshua on Sunday, March 31st, 2013

Syria Video is a web application that maps and aggregates Syrian war videos by tracking a large number of YouTube channels. The channels have been identified as reliable and tied to specific towns or regions of Syria. Syria Video collects all new videos released on these channels and attempts to identify their location in Syria and then displays them in chronological order. Since going online in early January, Syria Video has collected over 40,000 videos from 42 Syrian cities and 10 governates. Syria Video is an automated system, and thus, gathers videos in an unbiased manner.

Syria Video is our first attempt to bring order to the online Syrian war-sphere and has the potential to provide valuable insight to the conflict.

The Syrian government has tried to exploit the fog of war to gain advantage over its opponents by barring foreign journalists, restricting what Syrian journalists can report, and attacking its own citizen journalists.

Opposition activists have struggled to counter this blackout by posting a growing stream of YouTube videos. They are intended to keep the international community abreast of the revolution’s progress, to produce sympathy for their cause, raise money, and advertise their exploits and victories.

The footprint of the Syrian conflict on the web has been tremendous. The daily barrage of videos, tweets and Facebook posts coming out of Syria, has the potential to provide great insight into events occurring in any given area across the country. The lack of clarity that we face in following these events is not so much due to the lack of information, but to the overwhelming amount of it.

Comments (419)

“The war in Syria is as much about Palestine as it is about anything else.”

The usual regime supporters nonsense. The war has nothing to do with Israel or Palestine. It is about Assad mis-managing Syria and denying prosperity and freedom from 20 million people. It is about Syrians seeing change all around them and waking up and asking for it themselves. Even if Israel would leave the Golan and the West Bank tomorrow, there would still be fighting in Syria because it doesn’t solve any of the basic problems that Syrians face. It does not provide them good jobs, education, freedom and a hope for a better future.

This war will push back Syria for a decade maybe – that is the goal stated by some Israelis – but it will not stop Iran or Hezbollah.

Even if Israel launched an attack on Iran today it would not be able to defeat Iran.

Israel could not defeat a Lebanese militia and was rebuffed. How can it defeat Iran? The strategic map of the region has changed. A decade ago Israel might have had overwhelming superiority militarily but not today. Iran is the strongest nation in the Middle East.

What is the source of the conflict with Iran or its allies Syria and Hezbollah? Occupied land. Sovereignty. Palestine.

We all know the history of the region. Israel has no men of vision like Nahum Goldman or Rabin left it seems. I fear another Holocaust if Israel doesn’t come to her senses. Iran will destroy Israel in a future war. Israel is surrounded. If a war breaks out the Muslim world will back Iran despite their differences.

AIG despite your self-appointed role as the chosen people you can’t possibly be delusional enough to believe you speak for Palestinians. You don’t even speak for Israelis. You speak for yourself and are here to gloat over dead Arabs – your enemies.

Akbar I realize you’re an American Jew but why do you dismiss other’s beliefs as you do? Who made you God? Seriously.

You’re not stupid and can read SANA or Iranian media or any resistance media and get your answers. You don’t accept that?Fine. I am not worried because I know Nasrallah will destroy your rogue state the during the next war. I know many Israelis. I roomed with soldiers from the IDF in college. I know they’re scared of Hezbollah. You don’t have to believe me. It is fine.

My friend Adiv was a Sephardi Jew who fled the IDF due to racism. Gadi was another Israeli friend who showed me photographs of Israeli soldiers standing on Lebanese corpses like the Lebanese were slaughtered deer.

Syria? What do you seriously want me to say?

I support Assad 1000%.

We’re not talking about saving Syrian lives are we? If we are what is your proposal for that? Assad should surrender?

Funny, almost all you say is a hypothetical isn’t it?

You, or the lying Hasbara, can try to separate the war from the realities of the region but Israel’s bombing of Syria makes the two of you appear foolish.

Akbar remember you might consider yourself superior to anyone other than other Jews – “your people” – and you might feel the IDF is invincible but you’re wrong on both counts. Your cowardly army ran out of Lebanon humiliated in 2006.

Akbar no one could be so ignorant as to assume the world has to accept the Zionist narrative on the Syrian war.

You take the side of the terrorists. Okay. That is your right. It is also the right of a sovereign nation to destroy anyone attacking her. That is the right of self-defense.

You can carp and moan about Assad but should concentrate on the violations of Obama and Netanyahu first. You are an American FIRST and then a Jew. That is your only choice unless you want to end up rotting in an American prison like the Zionist spy Pollard.

Of course some Israelis are having orgasmic like fits watching Syria burn. They enjoy death.

Wow! This is really awesome! Syria Video is something so incredible. This web application that maps and aggregates Syrian war videos is one of a kind. I think this helps so much in giving and providing valuable insights on what is going on. Truly amazing!